Tag: aarp travel

Tips on How to Travel Safe This Summer

If you are a retired boomer like Mary Ann and I, then you are probably doing 4 or 5 trips a year now that you have the time.  Travel while you can is our motto.

Having no children or relatives at home, we do wonder how secure things will be while we are gone on one of our trips.  With Summer trips coming up, it is a perfect time to think about this and do some planning.

This morning I saw this:

Some AARP Tips on How to Travel Safe This Summer

  • Protect your home:  Unplug all major electronics and lock all your windows. Also, have a friend keep an eye on your home. If something goes wrong have a home repair service on speed dial. AARP members get 20% off HomeServe USA home repair plans.  A security system can also add a little peace of mind. If you don’t have an alarm system now is the perfect time to buy one, AARP members get 20% off ADT installation and $2 off monthly monitoring.
  • Protect your finances: According to a survey on identity theft 18 percent of respondents said they have had sensitive information lost or stolen while they were traveling. More than a quarter (27 percent) of all respondents said they brought their Social Security cards with them on their trip. One suggestion is for travelers leave their valuables in their hotel room in a secure location. Only bring what you need. Also, be wary of putting your personal information in public computers, many record key strokes. If you are still concerned, AARP members can get 13 percent off custom ID protection through AARP Identity Theft Protection.
  • Plan ahead: Make copies of your travel documents. Buy travel insurance in case you need to cancel your trip or something gets lost. Also, make sure you have access to a phone while traveling in case of emergencies. Mostly importantly, tell a close friend your travel arrangements. Make sure this person can deal with any emergency situation.

These are good tips that may help us baby boomers during our travels.  Be prepared and have a safe Summer!

Robert and Mary Ann Fowler

 

AARP Travel, Vacations and Tours are Popular

AARP Travel,  Vacations, Tours are Popular

The nonprofit membership organization AARP (for individuals 50+ years of age) has long offered senior group travel and tour options for its members – and now it has improved its offerings even further with the launch of AARP Travel. This great new travel website has detailed destination information, special offers, and even an interactive Trip Finder to help prospective adventurers age 50 and older choose an exciting (or relaxing) tour or travel destination.

Baby boomers, the largest age demographic in the country, are moving into the age of retirement – and are seeking new experiences and social interactions to enjoy.

Boomers want experiences, not more stuff at this stage of their lives.

AARP-organized vacations, travel packages, and tours are ready-made senior-friendly travel options that can meet those needs while specifically catering to the desires of 50+ travelers.

Through relationships with Liberty Travel and Expedia, among other travel industry leaders, AARP can offer its members incredible group deals on some of the most sought-after travel destinations around the world.

Some of the favorite domestic AARP member vacations include Las Vegas packages, Hawaiian getaways, Washington, D.C. stays and tours, and New Orleans Jazz Festival experiences, and other offerings in major cities such as New York, Chicago, San Diego, San Francisco, San Antonio, and Portland.

For those looking to travel farther afield, there are a wide range of international travel options. You may enjoy tours of Paris museums, explorations of Barcelona and Rome, rail tours in the UK, cruises among the Galapagos Islands, and guided trips of Hong Kong, among many other destinations.

Available choices include fully escorted tours and small ship cruises, or independent travel with a planned itinerary and access to customer service support.

If you are looking for the right tour or travel package, even without a destination in mind, the interactive Trip Finder application on the AARP Travel website can help guide you toward some of the organization’s many offerings with “visual questions,” using photography to represent the geography, styles of travel, and activities offered by various packages.

The AARP also has a new travel relationship with Liberty Travel, offering personalized travel agent expertise, as well as discounts and exclusive benefits for AARP members. Many more travel companies and services are listed on the AARP Travel site.

Boomer Travel – Expedia CruiseShipCenters

Boomer Travel – Expedia CruiseShipCenters


Well I just booked my third cruise this year and this will be my twenty first cruise altogether.  I got a good deal with a different travel agent other that I had been using.

cruise ship centersExpedia CruiseShipCenters I had heard about since they are an AARP travel provider.  When an office recently opened here in Johns Creek GA (Expedia CruiseShipCenter in Johns Creek) just down the street I went to their open house.

My wife Mary Ann and I met with Vince and even walked out with a $100 grand opening gift certificate. They were personable and not pushy at all.  Most of all they were knowledgeable.

So now a few weeks later Mary Ann found a transition cruise on the Princess Royal she wanted to take. I printed the quote from our on line research and headed down to talk with Vince about booking it.  It already had a very low Captains Circle special price so I was not expecting any lower price or any extras, except maybe the $100 gift certificate but mostly wanted to give them a try.  It would be nice to have a local cruise agent who I could talk with in person.

I gave Vince the on line cruise quote and our Captain Circle numbers.  The deal Vince came up with was much better. Very much better than I was expecting.

Besides the future cruise credits, we got another $200 on board credit for the Captains Circle (in addition to the lower Captains Circle price), plus an on board cruise of $100 for Military service plus $100 gift from Expedia CrusieShipCenters.  Wow, that’s $500 on board credit for a very low priced transition cruise aboard the Royal Princess.

I have never gotten a better deal than the website quoted price.  So I was happy.  But wait it gets better, it seems Expedia CruiseShipCenters has a sale going on April 1 through April 18th and we are getting FREE Gratuities! Wow that is worth some money.

So we got a great low price on our cruise, plus $500 on board credit, plus free gratuities. Needless to say, I am very happy to have established this new relationship with our local CruiseShipCenters office and the next time we come in to talk about future cruise bookings, Vince and Dave will have everything on file for us.

If you are in North Fulton County GA, stop by our Johns Creek CruiseShipCenters office located in the Kroger Shopping Center near State Bridge and Jones Bridge and ask for Vince. Their office phone is 678-712-5059.

ExpediaCruiseShipCenters
Retirement Travel

Baby Boomer News – Issue 3

Baby Boomer NewsContinuing the Baby Boomer News for this edition, I scanned the baby boomer headlines for this week for interesting stories. I like the ones with news about baby boomer generation’s current lives and also boomer trends. I say for us because I am age 65 and one of the older boomers myself. So here is a quick look at news affecting baby boomers.

Names for Grandparents

This story is all over the Internet, probably because it is from USA Today but it seems some baby boomers may want to be called something else besides the tradition grandparent names like Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Bubbe, or Papa. These boomers want to be called something that won’t be construed as feeling older. Gigi and Mimi are popular. Many boomers choose a more unique name. Source: Story

Boomer Travel Trend: Taking Extended Holidays

It seems baby boomers are traveling more before retiring by taking extended holidays sometimes leaving on flights with no return date booked.  They are doing it because they can and while they can. This verifies my observations that travel by boomers is on the upswing. Source: Story

road tripsBoomers Taking More Frequent Shorter Trips

According to this based on a AARP survey (AARP Travel) baby boomers are taking more frequent and shorter domestic road trips rather than longer International trips.  The boomers leave behind their children and grandchildren and head out with little short term planning. They spend $3000 per year on travel on average. Nine Great Summer Road Trips by AARP and Retirement Travel: Road Trips

Well this boomers taking short trips clashes with the story right above this one doesn’t it.  I personally think both types of boomer travel may be in an upswing.  Source: Story

Wall Street Looks to Aging Boomers

Wall Street is looking to the aging baby boomers as an investment theme. Boomers they say are starting to put their feet up, buy investment properties, get more diseases, lose some of their eyesight and draw on government assistance. So they say put your money into Healthcare, medical science and services for aging boomers.  Source: Story

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Not Making the Cut
The rift between Baby Boomer Generation and other generations.
Testing for Hepatitis C – has been covered.